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Tal Kel'tiran (Callahan)
Stats * Class: Rogue (Swashbuckler) * Race: High Elf * Armor Class: '''16 * '''Alignment: '''Chaotic Good '''Background Early Life Tal was born to the Kel’tiran Royal Family, the ruling family of the High Elven Nation of Or'ilanel, in the High Elven Capital of Kel'tir. Extremely curious for an elf, he often got himself into trouble with the more…refined members of the noble caste, and with his parents being leaders of the nation, this often led to Tal being scolded severely for his curiosities. The eldest of three, Tal was often the role-model that got the younger two in constant trouble with the other nobles of the kingdom. The younger sister, Illya, followed Tal everywhere, but was much better at acting the part of nobility when circumstance called for it. The youngest brother, Ayduin, was much the same. If the three got in trouble, Tal was usually the one to claim responsibility and take the fall, he cared little about it. The High Elves are notorious for their pride, and are often regarded as having a superiority complex towards the other races of Kronna. It was an air that permeated the society the children grew up in, and Tal loathed it. In his late pre-adult life, he was often present in diplomatic meetings when he wasn’t training with the Crownguard. His attitude towards his own people began to sour the more he watched their interactions with the other nations. Upon reaching adulthood, Tal began using his status to get things: Giving sums of excess gold to charities and essential businesses to attempt boosting the lower class, food provisioning by rewriting banquet contracts to basically send a portion of the food to people who needed it in the slums to name a few of his feats. Along with the help of his siblings, he undermined anything he could to spread the excess wealth around. Adulthood When the slave trade had reached its golden age in the kingdom, Tal was roughly 150 years old. He had been operating from the shadows for over 50 years, with varying levels of success. Illya, though young, was poised to gain a seat on the council of governance. She didn’t share Tal’s love of stealing wealth and re-allocating it with subterfuge. Her reasoning was sound, as Tal’s meddling had invoked suspicion in the other noble families of the nation. And was causing stresses on political boundaries within the region. Resource disputes were becoming more prevalent in the council’s sessions. Much of Tal’s operations had switched to combating the slave trade in the nation. Ayduin was Tal’s partner in this endeavor much of the time, as Illya was often preoccupied due to council obligations. At 200, Tal had diverted much of his economic focus into sabotaging slave trade. During these years, Tal and his brother began operating an underground network to infiltrate slaver caravans and release slaves, guiding them out of the region to protected nations in the southern reaches. Ayduin met Ethne while carrying out these operations…a tragic reality in Tal’s mind, as love between them was pretty much forbidden by virtue of his royal heritage… Nonetheless, Tal did assist in their meeting from time to time, it was pleasant company. She and Illya even became fast friends. Alas, it was a reprieve that was not meant to last. With Tal operating behind the scenes with Ayduin, Illya worked the frontlines on the council in an effort to win allies to begin gaining political traction on banning the slave trade entirely. The operations Tal planned and executed were far more costly than he could really siphon without notice, and it was not long until he and his brother were accused and arrested. Tal was 293 years old. When brought to trial, Tal bargained for his brother, managing to convince them that Ayduin advocated against his actions, and was attempting to stop him. Ayduin was acquitted of any wrongdoing, but Tal was sentenced to exile. A feat only possible thanks to his bloodline and his parents’ protections. The next day, he was forced to bid farewell to his family and was transported to the nearest port city outside of the kingdom’s territories. Exile to Present Day The sentence stripped Tal of his royal status, branded him a traitor, and severed his political ties to the throne utterly. Tal has not set foot in the royal capital since that day. He does still write back and forth with Illya on rare occasion. Unfortunately, he lost track of Ayduin and his whereabouts. Illya wrote that he had vanished some time after Tal’s exile along with Ethne. After a time, Tal did chance run into the couple living happily together. He did not stay long for a visit, but was glad they were doing what made them happy. Tal took to wandering for a time, performing odd jobs here and there. Eventually he settled into the life of smuggling, as it was a skill he honed for many years. Eventually he started his own business of taking jobs to escort people of various importance cross-country. It was decent work, usually, for decent pay. Tal never shook his passion for helping those lacking the luck and good fortune to be born into money. He still has the habit of finding a helpless stranger or two from time to time. The last Tal heard from Illya, she was seated as the second highest seat, and with the political maelstrom that ensued after the slave-ban passed, Tal decided it was safer to put his writing to her on hold for a time. His last letter to Illya stated that he’d be around if she needed someone to do something crazy, but that he didn’t want to jeopardize her goals to better their people. That last letter was written when Tal was 567. Today, It has been over 400 years since Tal saw the Gates of Kel'tir and his family, save the chance run-in with Ayduin and Ethne some years back. He’s 700 years old, and has adopted the alias Callahan for his trade…but he’s still the same old Tal that gets his kicks doing what he believes is right, leaving consequence at the wayside.